Capstone

So for my capstone I'm creating a Mass Media Portfolio. The portfolio will consist of short videos, animations, graphics and commercials that I'll be creating. The files will then be placed on a website I'm currently building using Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Can't wait for the outcome!

Prom Weekend

Prom weekend was one of the best weekends of my life ! I had so much fun in a house with 16 of my friends from school a block away from Ocean City shore/broadwalk. Even though we were only there for three days, during those days we became one big family. Every night was hilarious, memorable and crazy.

Alex's Musical Instrument Blog #1

Gotoh, rhythm guitarist from Asian Kung Fu Generation, produce sound from his guitar by strumming his pick against the strings. He changes notes by switching from fret to fret, the closer he moves his hands toward the front of the guitar the higher the note. His guitar is pretty standard, the pick ups on the end, the bridge holding all 6 strings, and an amplifier to give his sound waves more amplitude and be heard better. If I can get a string, stretch it out and vibrate it, maybe I can make a sound that maybe with the technology I can make louder. I believe since the thicker strings on a guitar are thicker than the thinner ones, they produce sound waves with low frequency which is why they sound lower, and the thinner strings vibrate faster making a higher frequency and higher pitch.

Also here's the live performance of Asian Kung Fu Generation playing Flashback
13. Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Flash Back

Stand Up Bass Blog #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py3jT0uaZw0

--How is it played? What does the person have to do to produce sound?
The instrument is played by stroking/strumming/plucking the strings.
--How do you change a note? (you might have to watch very carefully to see this)
You can change the note by applying pressure on different frets and stroking the different strings.
--How is it shaped?

The sound is created by the vibrations being amplified in the inside of the body of the bass.
--What does this make you think about how you can create and change sound?
This makes me think that you can create a vibration and alter the sound it makes by the area you surround it with?
--What connections (if any) do you think you can draw between what you are observing and you might already know about waves?
I really don't know how to express what I'm thinking, but I feel as though waves are a disruption of whatever is happening and when you surround them they are amplified and made stronger. (if that makes any sense.)

Leaving Prom

​Zach, Andrew, his girlfriend Patricia, Karen, Kimmi and I got into the limo. We had just exited the prom and were on a mission to meet up with Anthony and Jacob for a late dinner. Door closed and we all began to get settled in our spots. Now all we were waiting for was Evett and Stefen to get in their limo and follow. Problem was they we taking quiet a bit of time heading out of the lobby. Finally though we saw them emerge from the hotel. Problem was we heard our limo gearing up to go. I turned around waving to get their attention. Once I got it I tried to signal to Evett our limo was going to take off. She looked and I rolled down the window trying to hold her attention. Thats when the limo began to pull off and I saw the rarest thing ever. Evett took off from her spot on the side walk and began chasing the limo, I should add that she was still in her prom dress and very high heels. She actually was able to catch up to limo before it took off. Never stumbling or falling probably the coolest thing ever.

Xylophone (by: Steve Birkmire)

Musical Instrument Blog #1

A Xylophone is played by tapping one of the several bars that are arranged by size (longer to shorter) that create different pitches of sound using a plastic, wooden or rubber mallet; the sounds that are made when tapping the bars are kind of similar to the sound that a bell makes when it is rung (depending on the bell). The sound that the bar makes when you tap on it depends on the size (length) of the bar. The longer the bar is, the lower the noise it makes, and the smaller the bar is, the higher the noise it makes. Jazz bands often used the Xylophone in the 1920’s and 1930’s.



​http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHP5xjBP-9I

Musical Instrument Blog #1

Piano/Thumb Piano

When looking into the instrument I wished to play I thought that making a simple small piano would be easy. It's just a box with strings and keys you press that hit the corresponding string. While doing light research I noticed it was actually very difficult to piece something like that together. Then a friend of mine happened across an instrument called a thumb piano. It sounded like the perfect thing to make. So when i got home I looked it up. Basically its a bunch of different sized metal pieces that are bend in the middle and held down. It's played my pressing down on a metal piece and then releasing it causing a sharp crisp sound to be produced. The number of pieces can be varied so the range of notes is easily acquired like an actual piano. Its shape can be a small box with metal strips on top and a piece of wood that acts as like a ditch above the box like board. The metal strips are places strategically on top of the wooden ditch and then a bar is placed across them and pressed down to bend the metal pieces in a out wide U shape. I'm not sure about how tuning takes place but the vibrations of the metal to metal makes the nice sound.

To see for yourself check out this youtube video.
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Its okay, because it was Israel- #2

Blog #2

As you already know my topic is Israel. Like I said in the first blog I wanted to focus more on what’s happening with Hamas and how people like, Michael Levin die everyday fighting for their home land, and then there is Gilad Shalit who gets captured. The videos are very touching and interesting to watch. It really shows that people care enough about something that they will fight for anything. There is only so much information to date about Gilad Shalit, and what the deal with his situation, but if Hamas isn’t lying he is still alive and ok.  September  14, 2009 was the first video broadcasted since he was captured in 2006. Since most of the video are on YouTube, I could get you a link either at the bottom of this blog which you would have to watch outside of school or  I can see if there are other sites I could get the videos for you. I, my self feel like people need to know more about whets happening not just from CNN. Every news website or TV Channel have their own views and opinions. In what I see/ hear on the news everyone try’s to blame it on Israel, and how different things are their fault. Well its easier saying that then actually taking time to research. I bet 9/10 people reading this didn’t know that Hamas use little kids as human shields because they know that the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) won’t bomb or shoot the them. They do this because, they don’t like dangering the lives of little kids. They don't shoot them because they decide not to. They are all fighting form their homeland. Get to know about Israel, it won't hurt you.


http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-4244,00.html


http://www.haaretz.com/meta/Tag/Gilad%20Shalit

http://www.habanim.org/en/index_en.html

Rockets Baseball

I really miss it... Wish we could have won that playoff game. Now my time as a member for the SLA rockets baseball team is over, I think it is now time to start and focus on my college career playing baseball for CCP, and later in the years for the PPD, and onward to Temple, but all in all I will always be a member of the SLA Rockets in heart.

So bored.

​God there is nothing to do but sit here and listen. My brain feels like it's slowly fading away form me. I'm so bored that i just want to go to sleep.

This school is boring.  I want to see something else! something that POPS! to catch my attention and these tables are so bland! kll,ms. .fkpflg;l;gm 'paowm';qs;kd[opasp;laksd[popsdf ;k[ok;ldkp;askldm.,v'd;f'sll,s.msld';l,sd;f 

I'm done now.